Although they arrived at Shi Xiaolei's restaurant after dark and used the less-frequented back door, this didn't mean the soldiers' appearance went completely unnoticed.
After all, they drove military vehicles, and more than one at that.
"Oh dear, what should we do?"
Old Liu's shop was next door, and he didn't live far. When he went out to the balcony for a smoke and some fresh air, he happened to see what had just happened at the back door of Shi Xiaolei's shop. Because of their usual friendship, Old Liu couldn't help but start to worry about Shi Xiaolei.
"What do you mean, what should we do?!" Compared to Old Liu, his wife clearly had different ideas. She grabbed Old Liu's ear and, with a fierce demeanor, dragged him into the house. As she pulled, she grumbled, "You simpleton, I told you last time to have less to do with him. But you wouldn't listen, and you even said I was short-sighted, insisting on calling him brother. Now look, the soldiers have come knocking on his door."
"No..."
"What do you mean 'no'? Look at everyone on this street, is there anyone like him? What kind of person is Tony Stark? If he didn't have something special about him, just being a restaurant owner, how could he know Stark? I've said it before, that guy surnamed Shi isn't some law-abiding person; he definitely has many unspeakable secrets."
"What are you saying? Do I also have unspeakable secrets then?" After finally breaking free, rubbing his red ear, Old Liu continued to argue, "Last time I went to Xiaolei's, I also met Stark, and we had a great chat. Just the day before yesterday, he even sent me a message asking what brand of wine we drank together last time."
"You're very proud of knowing Stark, aren't you?"
Another slap came flying over. Luckily, it was cold and he was wearing thick clothes, otherwise, Old Liu's thigh would surely have a bright red handprint.
"No, why are you being so unreasonable? When was I ever proud? Let's stick to the point. What I mean is..."
"Reasonable? Heh heh." Giving her husband a big eye-roll, Old Liu's wife raised an eyebrow, "I haven't even asked you about that young girl a few days ago. Now I've found an excuse; so you're learning from Stark, huh?"
"Don't talk nonsense. I already told you, that's a niece of a brother from my hometown. She came here to study, unfamiliar with the place. I helped her arrange a place to live. What's so strange about that?"
"Helping her find a place is one thing, but do you need to pay her rent?"
"I only helped pay for the first month, okay? I didn't say I'd keep paying for her after that. The young girl is new here and hasn't found a part-time job yet, so she's short on cash. What's wrong with helping her out? At least her dad calls me 'brother'; I can't let that be for nothing."
Actually, she knew Old Liu wasn't that reckless, not the type to philander and mess around outside. At this moment, she was deliberately stirring up trouble, her purpose merely to distract Old Liu and keep him from worrying about Shi Xiaolei being taken away by the soldiers.
Speaking of which, Old Liu's wife wasn't a bad person, nor could she even be called snobbish.
Indeed, all those disparaging remarks about Shi Xiaolei just now were intentional; in truth, not a single one was a heartfelt evaluation.
After all, she was Old Liu's wife and often helped out in the shop. Meeting every now and then, over time, she knew very well what kind of person Shi Xiaolei was and had a certain understanding of his character.
The reason she deliberately spoke ill of Shi Xiaolei was solely out of protectiveness for her own husband... What kind of trouble Shi Xiaolei might encounter, Old Liu's wife could no longer care about. In her heart, there was only one thought: she must hold back her husband and prevent him from getting involved, lest he also get dragged into it.
As an ordinary immigrant family, without any background or support, honestly, Old Liu's wife's actions were truly understandable.
The wealthy and powerful Tony Stark was no ordinary person. Upon hearing about this, his attitude was completely different from that of Old Liu's family.
After receiving a call from 2B, Stark, who was still recuperating in Los Angeles, immediately went to his underground laboratory: "Jarvis, pull up the road surveillance footage near Locke's restaurant for me."
"At your service, Sir." The projector flickered, and a few seconds later, a nine-panel grid appeared on the white screen.
He glanced over, found the top-left panel had the best angle, raised his hand to tap it, dragged that specific frame out, and spread his fingers to magnify it several times, filling the screen.
Watching the footage, Stark continued to instruct, "Help me find out which unit these vehicles belong to."
"Yes."
Although the vehicles belonged to the military and their registration data was locked, for Jarvis, whose capabilities were strong enough to hack an airborne aircraft carrier, this firewall was still a bit too weak.
It only took three seconds for Jarvis to find all the detailed information about these vehicles.
"This squad belongs to Hamilton Military Base. Through a recent transfer report, their current direct superior can be identified." While answering Stark's previous question, Jarvis projected a photo onto the screen: "Thaddeus Ross, current Air Force Lieutenant General, director of the XXX Military Laboratory. The ongoing projects within this laboratory are as follows..."
"Thaddeus Ross?" He seemed to have heard the name, and looking at the photo, it also seemed a bit familiar. While searching his memories, Stark clicked on the directory of project names listed by Jarvis.
He originally just wanted to see if there were any projects he was familiar with, to find clues and confirm the general's identity.
But upon seeing it, Stark couldn't help but show a look of surprise and astonishment.
"Super Soldier Program? Wasn't this project shelved and archived?" As Howard Stark's son, Tony remembered very clearly the project his father had personally participated in, led, and was most proud of.
"According to previously obtained intelligence, yes." After a pause, Jarvis continued, "But from the current data, this project was merely moved underground and was not completely terminated."
...With a hint of doubt and an inexplicable sense of unease, Tony clicked on the related files for the 'Super Soldier Program.'
Upon closer inspection... "So that's it."
General Ross's orders were not backed up here, but by analyzing the research data, Tony Stark immediately guessed the whole story—the data not only highlighted the potions Shi Xiaolei provided but also somehow acquired a video of Shi Xiaolei fighting the Hulk. Through the analysis of this video, the military had not only confirmed Shi Xiaolei's identity but also thoroughly investigated his background, address, family environment, and other intelligence.
At the end of the document, there was also a sentence.
It was unclear whether it was a suggestion from the researchers or left by Ross himself, but in any case, the sentence conveyed one meaning: they could target Shi Xiaolei, using him as a breakthrough to continue the research for the 'Super Soldier Program.'